Training Log Archive: MikeS

No point in training anymore. Having a BBQ and drinking beer instead.

Event: HOC National Event, Brown Clee
 

Long selection race at Brown Clee. I retired. I hate retiring and not being able to complete what I set out to do, but it just wasn't going to happen. Right from the start I didn't feel right, but I was plodding round quite cleanly. Picked the wrong route to #7 and Speakey (my 3 minute man caught me). Ran with him quite easily to #11 but took a different route on the long leg to #12 and lost him.

I had taken some energy gel on the way to #10 and my stomach reacted badly, by the time I got to #12 I felt quite sick and was then only able to half walk / half jog up to the drinks point near #14. Took on water and (foolishly) more energy gel, hoping it would solve the problem. It made it worse, and by #17 it was too painful to run so I called it a day.

A disappointing end to what has been at times a pretty good season. With the exception of the JK, I have managed to get a little bit more consistency in my better results and finished two places higher in the UK Cup. Tied with Rob but he beat me on countback!

C • Season 1

Sprint selection race round Shrewsbury town centre. Started and finished through an ornamental garden, but the rest was on roads. Lots of route choice on the legs and a couple of uncrossable wall traps on numbers 5 and 12. Unfortunately I got caught out by number 5 (along with a lot of other people) and that lost me 30 seconds. I perhaps missed some of the optimum route choices, but I think that there wasn't much in it so if you made your decision quickly and executed it cleanly there was minimal time loss.

Finished in 13th place, which was a little disappointing, but was only 61 seconds behind the winner, which is the closest I have been in the sprint races this year.

Middle selection race at Weston Heath and Bury Walls. There was a lot of bracken, and I feel sorry for the early starters who were making the tracks through it for the rest of us. A tough tricky course up and over the crags for the first 5km, then a lung busting burn-up through fields for the last 1km.

Lost time at #2 by going low, wobbled a bit going into #13, then missed #16 and #17. Despite that, none of them were major and I kept my time loss low and got 10th place, which is by a long way my best position in a middle race of this standard.

Warming up and down for both races.

Event: GBR WOC Selection Races (Middle and Sprint)
 

Lunch run, with 10 * 30 sec strides thrown in.

Middle race training course on Longshaw with Rich. Tried to push reasonably hard and run cleanly. Quality evening to be out in the Peaks.

Warm up and warm down.

Run home from work, with 10 * Blake Street power hills at the end. Laura D (walking) = 2 points. Rach's housemate Jenn (walking) = 4 points. Running total = 42 points.

C • whoah, I thought your 10 po... 13